


Empty Noise

by Sweetnpinnk



Category: Hazbin Hotel (Web Series)
Genre: Angel's got six arms and he's not afraid to use them, Anxiety Attacks, Cuddling & Snuggling, Established Relationship, Hurt/Comfort, Intrusive Thoughts, Light Angst, M/M, Touch-Starved
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-27
Updated: 2020-12-27
Packaged: 2021-03-10 19:15:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,002
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28352286
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sweetnpinnk/pseuds/Sweetnpinnk
Summary: Sometimes the voices in Husk's head were just too loud. Angel is there to help quiet them.
Relationships: Angel Dust/Husk (Hazbin Hotel)
Comments: 17
Kudos: 112





	Empty Noise

**Author's Note:**

> Sad, touch-starved Husk? Never fear, Angel's got six arms and he's not afraid to use them!
> 
> I am only physically capable of writing fic if it's past midnight I guess.

Shut up. 

His skin crawled and his chest felt too tight as if his heart were swelling and there was no room. His lungs squeezed the very breath out of him. His body burned. No matter how hard he clutched his ears, not registering the tips of his claws digging into the soft flesh, the voices didn't stop. 

_Monster,_ they said. _Alone. Undeserving._

Shut up. 

Husk leaned hard against the edge of the bar. The others were busy chatting around the fireplace. The girls had taken to the floor to play a silly card game and even Vaggie was smiling. Alastor hummed to himself from his armchair, sipping from a steaming mug with a pleased smile stuck to his face. Angel had draped himself across the entire loveseat and was teasing Fat Nuggets with a couple of stolen cherries. Husk’s black mood darkened. They had invited him over, but he’d snapped at them, told them to fuck off. Why had he done that?

B _ecause they don’t actually want you there. You push away anyone who would give a shit because you know you’re not worth it. You made your own pit of misery,, so now you deserve to sit in it alone. Worthless. Trash. Listen to them laughing. Having a good time-_ without _you_. _You don’t matter_. _No one notices. No one cares. You’re just a piece of shit. Old. Washed out. Drunk. You deserve to rot._

Shut up.

Someone must have told a joke because a burst of laughter filled the room. Husk kept glancing at Angel. He was laughing too, a loud burst of happy giggles that normally filled Husk with lightness but now filled him with dread.

 _They’re laughing at you. You can’t join them, you know you’ll ruin everything. They don’t actually care. No one wants you here._ He _doesn’t care. He never has. You don’t deserve it. He’s tired of you. Why would someone like him ever love someone like you?_

**_Shut up._ **

His fangs ground against each other. He felt like he was being swallowed by a black hole. The squeezing in his chest had tightened like a noose, choking him. He was being crushed and the feel of the counter under him was disappearing.

He just wanted it to go away!

He just wanted it all to go away!

“Husky, _stop_!” 

Husk’s eyes snapped open. He hadn’t even realized he’d close them.

Without him noticing, Angel had appeared across the bar. Husk’s breathing was ragged and a moment of confusion floated above the noise in his head. Only then did he realize how his claws were still digging into his ears. When he withdrew them, the tips were covered in red. He couldn’t stop trembling.

“Husk,” Angel breathed. Only then did Husk notice that the rest of them had gone silent and were staring at him. Too many eyes. Too much silence. Too much goddamn _noise_.

Angel started to reach out. “What’s-“

“ _Don’t touch me!_ ” Husk gasped, shuddering away. Angel flinched, hand halting mid-reach, and the noise only got _louder_.

_Look what you’ve done. You’ve hurt him. The one person you said you never would. But it was inevitable, wasn’t it? It was only a matter of time._

To his horror, he felt tiny spots of water begin to well in the corner of his eyes. Angel’s eyes widened.

He wanted to disappear. He didn’t want to be seen. Not like this. Not by Angel.

Without another word, he swiped a random bottle – it didn’t matter which kind, he just needed _something, anything_ – and staggered away from the silence. But the noise only followed him.

He slammed his bedroom door closed but he still couldn’t breathe and he dropped to his knees, curling on the ground, wings pulling tight around himself. He dug his fingers into the carpet looking for some kind of purchase, some kind of anchor to keep from falling apart at the seams, as the bottle rolled off somewhere in the distance.

This wasn’t new. He would deal with it. He always did. He had no choice. He would _deal_ with it. He- 

“Oh Husk…” 

Angel… he hadn’t heard the spider slip in, but of course he had come after him. Of course he had. From within his cocoon, Husk trembled.

“I don’t want you to see me like this.” Husk’s voice cracked, unable to keep the quiver from his voice. “Go away.”

_Pathetic. Weak. Shameful. Disgusting-_

There was a quiet rustling and he realized Angel must’ve taken a seat on the floor beside him. His movements were calm and easy, but Husk still balled himself tighter.

“Husk, I’m going to touch your wings.” Angel’s words were a gentle balm against the fray that were his loose ends. “Is that okay?”  
_  
You don’t deserve it._

_I’m sorry._

_He doesn’t actually want to be here._

_Don’t go._

_You fucked everything._

“Please.” The whispered reply was so broken, so quiet, he wasn’t sure if Angel actually heard him. But when he felt a hand gently rest against one of his wings, he tensed at first and resisted the instinct to shy away from it but when it didn’t move he gradually relaxed. His body still trembled and his breathing was still difficult, but he focused on Angel’s hand, it’s warmth, it’s gentle touch, like a tether keeping him from plunging into the complete abyss.

“Breathe, Husk.” Angel’s words were still quiet, still gentle, but firm and clear. “Slowly. We’ll count ta’ ten, like ya’ do with me, yeah? It’s okay. You’re safe. I’m here.”

The tears he’d been desperately holding back spilled silently down his cheeks, but he let out a shaky breath and nodded, following Angel’s ten count. It took several times, but gradually the cord wound so tightly around his chest eased and the noise in his head began to drop to a whisper, being washed out by Angel’s soothing tone as he guided him off the ledge.  
  
His wings which he’d wrapped so tightly around himself began to ease and curl out slowly. There was still the lingering fear, the doubt, the guilt, but the moment he saw Angel sitting there right next to him and quietly holding out his arms, Husk nearly whined in his desperation to be in them, pitching himself headfirst and nestling his head tightly against his chest. Without a word, Angel’s arms were surrounding him and pulling him closer in a full six-limbed embrace and began their gentle ministrations of carding through his fur, scratching his tender ears, and smoothing out his feathers. With each stroke, the few remaining voices were brushed away, scattering like leaves over still water.

And then at last… quiet.  
  
“M’ sorry.” Husk mumbled into his fur. Angel only pulled him closer, shaking his head.

“Don’t apologize, Husky.” Angel murmured against Husk’s head. “Ya’ did nothing wrong.”

“I didn’t mean to yell at you.”

“I know.”

“I-“

“Husk.” Angel said and Husk went quiet, the tremble back in his shoulders. “It’s okay. You’re okay. We’re okay.” And despite every instinctual belief he had screaming at him otherwise, Husk believed him.

“I don’t want to ruin this.” _This_ , he said, as if that could possibly sum everything _this_ was. The one good thing in Hell, the only thing since he’d died that gave him _meaning_ again.

Angel actually chuckled, moving two hands to ease Husk off his chest. Husk’s eyes were slightly red and shadowed with fear, but Angel stared back at him with nothing but complete and tender affection.

“Ya’ haven’t ruined anything, I promise. And hey, it was starting to feel a little unfair with how many times you’ve had to do the comforting. It was about time for me to have a turn and be there for you for a change.” His thumb stroked his cheeks for a moment. “Do ya’ want to talk about it?”

“…It’s just bullshit.” Husk mumbled. “Sometimes I just get these thoughts… and they dig into my head. Fuck me up in a bad way.”

Angel nodded, quietly waiting for him to give more if he wanted. Husk sighed, averting his gaze. It wasn’t easy to say. Hearing them echo around in his head were one thing, but saying them out loud was another degree of uneasy. But this was Angel and he was in his arms and he was safe and he trusted him more than anything. He took another breath.

“And I can’t stop them sometimes. Things like… how I don’t deserve any of this. How I’m just gonna fuck everything up. It’d be best if I wasn’t here, yada yada. Y’know… stupid bullshit. This time they were just a little too much.” Husk tried for a casual shrug, but it was all he could bare to say. He knew better though. Angel wasn’t stupid and he knew he could see straight through him in that moment  
  
“Husk.” Angel said sternly. “It’s _not_ stupid bullshit. Now, you listen ta’ me and you listen good because I’ll say it as many times as I need to get the message across.”

Angel had gently redirected Husk’s gaze back onto his and he was shocked when he saw tears shining in his eyes.

“You _do_ deserve this. You are _not_ fucking anything up. And don’t you ever, _ever_ say that it’d be best if you weren’t here.” Angel’s voice began to crack on the last part, but when Husk tried to sit up he was held fast. “I _love_ you. I care for you more than anything. You’re the only damn good thing about the fucked up mess that’s this afterlife and when the voices get too loud or when it gets too much, I’m going to be there for ya’ like you’re always there for me. I’ll shut them motherfuckers up.”

Husk cracked a smile. His heart had started to squeeze again, but it was in the good way this time. Fuck, he really did love him so much it was scary.

“Shit… ‘always’ huh?” He said after a stretch of quiet. It was hard for him to navigate deep conversation like this especially when he was the one who’d been so vulnerably raw a moment ago, but Angel picked up his cue immediately.

“Afraid so. Sorry daddy, you’ve got not choice.” He said as he slid to lay on the ground beside him and tapped his forehead to his. “Can’t get rid a’ me that easily.”

Husk nestled into the crook of his neck, taking a shaky breath. Angel brought a gentle hand to his ears and they twitched sensitively, aching and stinging from their earlier abuse. 

“Are ya’ feeling okay enough to move to the bed?” Angel hummed. “I’d like to take care of your ears. If that’s okay?”

Husk silently nodded and Angel helped maneuver him up, but never let him go. The touch he had been so keen to avoid seemed to be the only thing keeping him together now. Angel reached over with a long arm to grab the small medical kit Husk kept in his bedside table, usually reserved for Angel himself, and sat down on the bed, easing Husk into his lap.

“Okay?” Angel asked.

“Yeah.” Husk replied quietly, closing his eyes. Almost unconsciously, his wings began to curl around them both, creating a safe little haven.

Angel continued petting him and the familiar rumble of purring soon followed as his partner set to work, gently dabbing away the blood on his fur and cleaning the small cuts. He even wiped down his claws. Setting the medical kit aside, Angel leaned over to kiss each ear which twitched in response. Husk’s cheeks went red and Angel giggled. 

“Better?” Angel said, holding Husk’s face in his hands. Husk nestled into them and leaned in, bringing his lips to Angel’s and wrapping his arms tight around him. The voices had gone for now, but they would come back like they always did. But that was okay because he had Angel. It would always be okay with him there.

“Better.” 

**Author's Note:**

> *slaps Husk* You can fit so many feelings into this grumpy cat. Give me Angel comforting Husk or give me death!! 
> 
> Sorry this is really really messy and probably full of errors. It was more stream of conscience than planned fic lol, and I wanted to post it before I was stuck in a car for 4 hours. I've been really super anxious for some reason and having a lot of intrusive thoughts so don't mind me, I'm just projecting onto my comfort character/OTP. I feel better after writing this. Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday :)


End file.
